Long after a piece of technology has faded from use, it can live on in the phrasing and terminology it inspired

Most technology becomes obsolete sooner or later. But just because a particular piece of tech is no longer in our lives, doesn’t mean it isn’t still with us in some ways. One of the ways in which technology can leave a lasting, but less obvious, impact is in changes it makes to the way we speak. New terminology and phrases can sprout from technology, be incorporated into our daily language and remain in use well beyond the lifecycle of the thing that inspired them. Here are 11 examples of terms and phrases many of us still use which were derived from technology that has since become obsolete.

Current usage: A person or thing that appears very promising but turns out to be disappointing.

Derived from: Flintlock firearms

Derivation: In order to fire a flintlock musket in the 1700s, a small pan of gunpowder on the gun was ignited with a flint. Ideally, that would ignite the main charge which would then fire the bullet. Sometimes, though, the initial charge would simply flash in the pan and fail to discharge the weapon.

Current usage: A control character to command an output device for a computer (such as a display or printer) to move a cursor to the first position of the line.

Derived from: Typewriters

Derivation: When someone using a typewriter reached the end of a line, a carriage return was used to move the carriage holding the paper to the right and position the paper so typing would resume at the beginning of the next line. Originally, the carriage return was a lever, but on electric typewriters, as carriages were replaced with mechanism that moved across the paper, the carriage return was invoked with a button labeled “return,” which continues to be used on computers today.

Current usage: To inform on or betray someone else, usually to the police for criminal activity.

Derived from: Pay phones

Derivation: Before cell phones became popular, pay phones were ubiquitous; they could be found on just about every street corner and in every public place. Not only were they were easy to find, but they were also a great way to make an anonymous call like, for instance, to inform the police about someone doing something illegal. The saying it spawned to anonymously snitch on someone was also derived from the longtime cost of a payphone call.

Current usage: To indicate people receiving an email addressed primarily to someone else.

Derived from: Carbon paper

Derivation: Before photocopiers, email and personal computers, carbon paper was used to create copies of documents that were written by hand or on a typewriter. Multiple copies of letters could be created at the time the letter was written, and recipients other than the person the letter was addressed to would receive one of these “carbon copies.” Carbon copy recipients were normally indicated at the end of the letter using the notation “CC”.

Derivation: Back when records were the dominant medium for music, they could easily become scratched. When the record player needle hit a scratch, it would skip or repeat part of the record, over and over.